Raising Minako-chan
by storygirl1015
Summary: No one knows exactly how it happened, all they know is that Minako, their bright and fearless leader, is a little kid again...She doesn't remember how to summon Persona, or what S.E.E.S. is, and her curious antics get her friends into quite a few mishaps. How can they save the world, when their five-year old leader can't stay up past her bedtime? FeMc/harem fluff
1. Just a Dream

**Urgh…well, where should I start…? I've been playing Persona (the one for PSP only) for about 2 years now, but it never occurred to me to write a fic for it until now. Hell, until a few months ago, I didn't even know it**_** had**_** a fandom… Anyway, this idea came to me randomly. And I'm not sure I'm even thinking straight…**

**But enough of that…I'm gonna try to make this cannonish, but I'm not sure how well I'll do with that. The farthest I've gotten is when you're climbing the final block of Tartarus as the Nyx Annihilation Team, and then I realized I'd never be able to build my team up enough in time to fight Nyx, so I restarted, and well, basically, my interest in the game has been recently rebooted. Unfortunately, reading so much fanfiction has revealed a lot of spoilers (which I hate), especially about the ending…I thought I'd played through all the best parts when I restarted, but leave it to **_**Persona**_** to keep you guessing up 'til the end. Heh…anyway, hope this works out for me.**

**I don't own the **_**Persona**_** series, though I think it's brilliant.**

**This is an eventual FeMCxmulti with lots 'o fluff on the side. I didn't use the name "Minako" when I played, but I've found out it's one of the default names for the main character, and I admit it's kinda grown on me, so she'll be known as Minako Arisato here…got it?**

**Summary: **Everyone knows her as the fearless yet cheerful leader of S.E.E.S., but when a powerful Persona fusion goes wrong, Minako somehow transforms into a five-year old little girl with no clue how to use her amazing powers. Uh-oh…how is this clandestine group of high schoolers going to handle this new ordeal when the only one who can save the world isn't even knee-high anymore?

* * *

"_Mommy…? Daddy…? W-why aren't you moving?" the little girl stared helplessly at the slouched forms of her parents in the front seat of the family's car._

_There had been a blinding flash of light, and they'd swerved into the railing on Moonlight Bridge, but she'd somehow managed to make it out with only a few cuts and bruises. _

_Blinking back tears, she slowly opened the door and climbed out on the eerily quiet bridge. Her legs shook terribly, and a small whimper passed her lips, but she was determined to search for someone…anyone that could help her parents. _

_She gazed around at the cars parked on the sides of the bridge, but didn't see anyone in them. Her small legs carried her further down the bridge, where she could just barely make out two figures. _

_It almost looked like one was floating, but she was exhausted and in shock, so it could have been anything. As she wondered closer, she could tell that one was a woman with short blond hair, her back faced to her. _

_And in front of her, just like she'd thought, was a floating creature unlike anything she had ever seen. "A m-monster…" she whispered. _

_Her body screamed for her to hide, but she was frozen scared and wide-eyed as another creature, blue and wearing a helmet, appeared before the woman, the crackling sound of electricity shooting through the air._

_The large black creature surrounded by what looked like a ring of coffins countered the woman's electricity with its own powerful charge beam. _

_They seemed to be struggling to defeat each other, but neither one was giving in. She could feel the heat from the sparks on her face now, the glow from their light seemed to illuminate everything in short bursts. _

_She watched in awed terror as the monster's power slowly began to overwhelm the woman._

_Suddenly, the monster's yellow beam broke through, shooting right through the creature and towards the woman._

_"L-look out!" she cried before she could stop herself. A second before the beam hit, the woman turned around to look at her with glassy blue eyes._

"Ah…!" Minako shot up with a short gasp.

Placing a hand to her chest, she blinked, slowly looking around the room to be sure of her surroundings.

'_It was just a dream…_' she told herself with a sigh. But it was a strange one nonetheless. Not that she hadn't had plenty of strange dreams since coming to the dorm.

The thing that made this dream so strange was that it almost seemed like a memory from her past, and Minako _never_ dreamed about the past.

She could hardly remember anything up until the age of around seven, when she had left Port Island with her foster family.

The other shocking part of the dream…was how strangely familiar the woman's face was…she looked just like Aigas! Could it be Aigas?

"I'm almost sure we've never met before though…even though she seems to think she knows me from somewhere." Minako muttered to herself.

Before she could give it more thought, there was a knock at her door, and the next thing she knew Yukari was asking her if she was almost ready to go. "Go where…?" the brunette wondered before looking at her alarm clock.

It was almost eight. She was going to be late for school! Quickly stumbling out of bed, she threw the door open, noticing Yukari's surprised face but ignoring it. "I gotta go get ready. I can't believe my alarm didn't go off!" she whined. "Don't we have a test today?" she asked, still racing down the hall to the bathroom.

She really hoped none of the other girls were in there. After knocking and getting no response, Minako barged in and found her bath materials on the cabinet's second shelf.

Each of the girls stored their personal items in different places, to avoid any confusion. Minako practically threw off her flannel teddy bear pajamas as she stepped into the freezing cold shower.

"Cold, cold!" she squealed, quickly adjusting the knobs before grabbing her cloth and body wash.

When that was done and she had rinsed the shampoo from her hair, she wrapped herself in the fluffy white towel waiting on the rack.

Since her clothes were in her room, she rushed out and back down the hall, passing Yukari, who was watching with amusement. "Wow, that's gotta be a new record." Minako heard her giggle.

"I'm not through yet." She called back as she slipped into her bedroom and swiftly pulled out her uniform. She hopped awkwardly into her underwear and then clipped her bra.

Next, was her skirt and knee-high socks followed by her blouse and lastly, Gekkoukan's black female blazer.

She readjusted her hair into its normal clips before opening the door, panting slightly.

Yukari leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and whistled as if she were impressed. "Wow, you're really something else. You did that in less than three minutes."

Minako rubbed her neck sheepishly, "It's not anything amazing to be a tardy klutz."

"Still, you pulled it off. Come on, let's hurry up and go grab some breakfast before Junpei eats all the toast again." Minako followed with a slight laugh. They arrived in the kitchen to find everyone else already downstairs.

Fuuka was the first to notice them, "Oh, Yukari-chan, Minako-chan. I was just about to come and see if you both were coming down soon. You're just in time for breakfast." she told them happily.

Of course, this caught the group clown's attention as he looked at the girls almost smugly. "Yo Yuka-tan, Minako-chan!" Junpei called with his usual grin, happily loading his plate with food.

"What took you guys so long? We almost started without you." Akihiko added.

"Yes, Minako-san…you are unusually late to arrive." Aigas observed in her monotonous tone.

They all usually took turns with things like breakfast making duties, but sometimes everyone just grabbed whatever they could if they were in a rush. Today, Mitsuru had made a simple breakfast of eggs, toast and bacon.

"Sorry, Yukari had to come and get me…I guess I kinda slept in a little." She grinned slightly. She noticed the newest member, a senior named Shinjiro Aragaki quietly reading the paper in his seat and occasionally sipping coffee. Minako didn't know very much about him, just what she'd been told by Mitsuru and Akihiko.

Apparently he was an old friend of Akihiko's and they'd grown up together. He had been in S.E.E.S. a while back, but quit for some reason, until about a week ago, when Akihiko had asked her to come with him after school, where he managed to push Shinjiro into rejoining.

He seemed rather rough around the edges, and most people seemed to think he was unapproachable, but the time they had all gone investigating at the gang spot behind Port Island Station, he had saved them from a group of local punks. Somehow, Minako just knew that he wasn't as bad as he looked, as much as he seemed to want people to believe so.

"Good morning, senpai." She smiled cheerfully at him. He slowly glanced at her from over his paper, his gaze looking cynical as usual.

"Hey…" he muttered curtly.

Minako figured that was the most that she would get out of him for now, but it was a start. She'd decided to make an honest effort to get to know him better, maybe make him feel more comfortable at the dorm.

"I hope everyone's ready for today. We will be having a meeting to discuss important news in the lounge tonight. I expect to see everyone there." Mitsuru told them before exiting the kitchen.

Yukari frowned, before sighing. "Always secretive, huh?" she murmured.

Junpei cocked his head to the side as he looked after her curiously. "I wonder what that was about?" he mumbled through a mouthful of toast and eggs.

Yukari's nose crinkled in disgust. "Ew Junpei, don't talk with your mouthful."

It wasn't too long before Minako found herself staring out the window of the monorail on the way to school.

The ocean glistened beautifully, as always, and the clouds drifted lazily across a sunny blue sky. "Wow, on days like this…it's hard to believe something as horrible as the Dark Hour is real…" she whispered, her eyes focused on the beauty of the journey.

Beside her, Yukari was rummaging through her bag frantically. "Crap! I forgot my notebook back on my desk. Hey Minako, do you have the notes for Classic Lit—" she noticed her friend zoning out and frowned. "Minako…?" There was no response. "Hey, earth to Minako." Yukari's hand waving in front of her face quickly snapped her out of her intense daydreaming.

She flushed slightly. "S-sorry…what were you saying?"

Yukari arched a brow. "You sure you're ok?"

"Of course I am! I mean, why wouldn't I be?" she questioned innocently. Yukari studied the girl who had become both her teammate and friend over the past few months before shaking her head.

"No reason I guess." Minako smiled cheerfully as if to reassure her.

"_Heeey_, chickies? You guys ready to own the next Shadow in our operation?"

Yukari immediately scowled while Minako blinked questioningly as Junpei slid in next to them.

"Ugh, Junpei…you sure do know how to ruin beautiful scenery." Yukari told him, glaring out the window as they drew closer to their stop.

"What do you mean, Junpei? Our next mission isn't for another two in a half weeks." Minako reminded him, her vivid crimson eyes gazing at him curiously.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just really revved up for some reason, this time. Ya know?" he grinned. In his mind, he was envisioning a certain redhead Lolita. She'd be so impressed when he told her about how he took out this Shadow.

Of course she thought that _he _was actually the leader, but he was sure Minako wouldn't mind if it meant helping him out. She was cool like that.

Yukari just rolled her eyes with a grunt. "Whatever, just try not to say stupid stuff out loud, got it? We are in a public area." Luckily, not too many other passengers were in their car at the moment.

Minako gazed at the sky as they exited at the station to walk the remaining two blocks to school. She got the feeling something bigger than usual was coming her way...

And _that_ was saying something.

In class, Minako had a hard time paying attention. It wasn't the lesson, exactly, or even their weird philosophy teacher, Mr. Edogawa.

Her mind was too busy wondering over the parts of the dream she could remember. Was that little girl really her?

Why couldn't she remember what happened to her parents? And why was Aigas in her dream? The voice of Mr. Edogawa drifted through her ears in the background.

"…such as a magic spell that can cause a person to age in reverse. The incantation actually comes from a popular Buddhist prayer in the late fifteenth century, though it is possible to properly perform the spell without one if the right conditions are met."

The bell suddenly rang and Minako jumped, surprised she had daydreamed through the entire class. "Well, we're out of time. Be sure to try that alchemy potion I told you about. Ehehehehehe…." He gave his strange chuckle, his glasses glinting as he walked out of class.

Minako walked back to the dorm that afternoon with Junpei, seeing as Yukari was at archery club practice. Minako was on the volleyball team, but her club didn't meet today, so she had decided to come back a little early. She was still in a daze, but tried to be polite and listen since Junpei was eagerly talking to her.

By the time everyone had gotten back, it was time to meet upstairs. Mitsuru, Akihiko, Aigas and Fuuka were already there ahead of them. Minako walked in, Junpei and Yukari following shortly after.

Then, Koromaru trotted in and laid down under the coffee table, followed by Shinjiro, and lastly, Ken. She noticed that Ikutsuki wasn't there, which was unusual, since he had been every time they'd ever met in the command room. She guessed Mitsuru must have taken it upon herself to call them together.

"Thank you everyone." Mitsuru began, nodding at them, "I know it was somewhat short notice that I only told you this morning. But we're still not sure what we'll be up against in two weeks, so I think we should try to increase our excursions to Tartarus. The Shadows are becoming increasingly stronger, and their methods of wreaking havoc are becoming bolder and more complex. We cannot allow them to run amok; we are Port Island's only salvation." She paused, her delicate eyebrows arching slightly, a sign that she was thinking, "Of course, I understand if not everyone is able to attend every time either for health or academic reasons, but let's all try to put in some extra time."

Junpei whooped his agreement, while Ken nodded solemnly and Akihiko looked excited. "Alright, we'll go tonight then. Meeting dismissed."

Minako got up from her seat and instantly felt a chill run down her spine. What was this feeling of foreboding she was getting. She felt it had something to do with Tartarus, and for some reason, her instincts were telling her to visit the Velvet Room as soon as possible. She quickly went back down stairs and exited the dorm quietly.

Fifteen minutes later she was at Paulownia Mall, headed toward the secret passage to the Velvet Room at the end of the alley. The door instantly opened for her, and as usual, an ever smiling Theo was there to greet her. "Welcome Minako-sama, how may I be of assistance?"

Minako looked down at her feet, only just now realizing she wasn't exactly sure what she was doing here. Something had just told her to come, so here she was. "W-well I…" she glanced at Theo, seeing he held her gaze intently, patiently waiting for her to continue.

She blushed lightly, hoping he didn't notice. For some reason, Theo always gave her butterflies…in the good way. From the moment they met, she felt intrigued by him.

"Does it perhaps have anything to do with your dream?" he asked with a mysterious twinkle in his eyes.

Minako gaped, "How did you kn—"

He held up a gloved hand, smiling quite smugly with his eyes closed. "How is not important now." Minako stared, still feeling uncomfortable. Did that mean he knew about _all_ her dreams? Even any embarrassing ones she might have?

He chuckled at her, which only made her flush brightly. "Don't look so alarmed. I promise that this is the only dream of yours I've ever observed. I would never violate the trust of our dearest guest." Minako breathed a sigh of relief, but still looked apprehensive.

"Do you know what it means, Theo?" She watched him anxiously, as if he could help her shed light on her confusion. Minako then studied her hands purposefully as she nervously wrung them together "I…I've never been able to remember much about my past before…um, the foster home. I don't even really remember my parents' faces anymore, or why I kept having to move so much to begin with."

She sighed, looking him the eyes. She usually felt a little nervous having to talk about her history, but she felt like Theo would understand. He always had.

To her surprise, instead of answering, the fair-haired young man moved forward, delicately placing a gloved hand on her cheek and barely grazing it with his thumb. The touch instantly felt like jolts of electricity shooting from her stomach.

Minako hoped he hadn't noticed the way her knees shook slightly. She stared into his beautiful golden eyes, always so bright and expressive. She really loved his eyes.

They could light up like a child's when he learned something new, or twinkle with mirth sometimes when he was being secretive. They'd held fierce protectiveness the time he'd pulled her out of the way of an oncoming car, and when he became embarrassed, his eyes grew large and innocent as he pouted.

He gave her a charming, sympathetic smile, and her heart beat dully in her ears. "I apologize, Minako-sama, but I know just as little about that side of your subconscious as you do. I sincerely hope you can lay any worries you may have to rest soon. It concerns me whenever I see you distressed. But please know that I will offer my assistance in any other way I can possibly continue to aide you."

She beamed up at him, and Theo stared back with slight surprise, his cheeks tinted a light pink. It seemed like he always knew just what to say in moments like this. He was mysterious and infinitely wise, yet at times, simple and as refreshingly open as a young child. She found herself intrigued by both sides of him, and considered herself lucky to have such a loyal and invaluable ally.

Minako didn't stop to think as she slowly leaned forward on her tiptoes and delicately placed her small hands on his surprisingly firm shoulders, laying a quick peck on his cheek. Theo's eyes instantly dilated and his cheeks grew warmer by the second. "M-Minako-sama…" he sputtered, making her giggle sweetly.

"Thank you, Theo. You're absolutely right; I don't have time to be worrying about something as silly as a weird dream. My team needs me and I should stay focused on training."

Theo blinked, seeming to come out of his light daze. He gave her an awkward but encouraging smile after clearing his throat. "Of course, Minako-sama. I'm happy to be of assistance." he replied sincerely. "Speaking of your explorations of Tartarus, my master wishes to speak with you about the possibility of being able to activate new fusions."

Minako looked surprised, before she nodded. A quick glance around the room revealed no Igor, however. "Sure, where is he?"

"Ah, I do apologize for being late. But I had other…matters that needed to be settled. I hope my assistant has attended to you well?" the short, long-nosed man suddenly appeared, taking his seat on the antique couch as usual.

Minako nodded, and Igor continued. "Now, I'm sure you recall the basics of fusion?" He asked, and when she nodded again he cleared his throat. "I would just like you to know that the development of your abilities have led to new fusion possibilities. You may now fuse four Persona at once. Would you like to try it?"

The brunette grinned eagerly, her eyes glowing. "You know it! Which ones can I fuse?"

Igor stroked his chin in thought, before calling to Theodore. "Theodore, please bring our cherished guest her compendium." he commanded, and the young man instantly produced the thick, ancient looking book filled with pages of all kinds of odd creatures in every imaginable form. Some pages, however, still remained blank, but Minako was working on that.

"That's the thing—we're not sure this time. Please just choose whatever cards call to you, and we'll see what results."

"Well…okay, I guess I could try it," she shrugged, though something felt off this time.

She chose four cards at random—Unicorn of the Priestess Arcana, Orpheus of the Fool Arcana, Angel of the Justice Arcana and Inugami of the Hanged Arcana. They were all relatively weak, easy to obtain cards in the beginning. But she had been working exclusively to boost up even her weaker Persona, so they were all at fairly high levels now.

The four cards floated in midair above the clock like so many times before, but when they started to merge, something unusual happen. An alarm sounded, and the fusion area glowed, an angry red.

"W-what's happening?!" Minako heard herself shriek as the whole room began to rumble, and it felt like her body was being sucked into the middle of the blinding white light in the center of the fusion chamber.

"T-Theo!" she desperately reached for him and within moments, he had caught her arms, but then a particular strong force of suction ripped her away from him and she was thrown into the light.

"Minako-sama!" was the last thing she heard before her senses began to go numb.

Her body began to glow, tingling uncomfortably, and it was all she could do to shield her eyes. A warm pressure built up and surrounded her body like a heavy blanket, and then, there was quiet…there was nothing.

* * *

**Ok, I'm sorry if the beginning was rushed, but I'm anxious to get to the cute, fluffy harem with little Minako and the guys! Please let me know how I did on this; I'd really appreciate it. Also, I know that's not how the four-way fusions work, but just stick with it for now.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	2. Nightmare Come True

**It took me a while to organize this chapter like I wanted...hopefully I did ok. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME, OK? (NO FLAMES!)**

* * *

After the strange burst of energy, the fusion room was eerily quiet. Theodore immediately scrambled up from under the table where he'd been forced to take cover, and his master crawled up from behind his couch.

But their valued guest was nowhere to be found. "Minako-sama!" he was searching frantically, calling her name repeatedly in the hopes of getting a response. All was silent still.

His heart raced wildly as he thought of what he'd do if any ill fortune had befallen the one guest he knew he could never let go of. Her fearful expression right before she'd been sucked away from him flashed through his mind, causing his heart to give a heavy lurch.

He wondered the wide, empty expanse of the room, his gaze forlorn. "Theodore…" he heard his master calling and glanced up slightly to see the old man's hunched form standing over something crumpled on the ground at the base of the large clock.

He rushed forward, noting with awe that it was a person. A human no less. Tentatively, he sank to his knees, reaching forward with a shaking hand before drawing it back quickly as the person began to stir. It was a female child, small and dazed.

Theodore felt his throat constrict as she slowly sat up to rub her eyes—familiar pools of the deepest ruby. Eyes he would know anywhere. Her hair was short, just above her shoulders, and she wore an oversized red cardigan that slipped down to hide her small fingers. This child looked exactly like the child from Minako-sama's dream. But that was impossible. Her confused gaze met his and he felt his lips part slightly, "Mi-Minako…Minako-sama?"

She tilted her head, observing him with an attentive wisdom seldom found in children her age. "W-where is this? Who are you, mister?" He met Igor's face and noticed that the old man looked grim. If this was Minako in the form of a child, then something was very wrong.

* * *

Yukari frowned as everyone sat in the front lounge, waiting. "This isn't like her at all…I'm getting kind of worried here guys." She whispered the words everyone had been thinking for most of the night.

"I concur. For Minako-san to arrive tardy the night of an exploration is highly improbable. I suspect foul play." Aigas voiced from her own seat on the arm of the couch.

Ken fidgeted on the floor nest to Koromaru, and the silver Shiba whined and placed a paw on his knee. He stroked the dog's head absently to distract his own muddled thoughts. '_What if something really did happen to Minako-san?_' he thought frantically. '_B-but she's strong, right? It's not like she would just…'_ He frowned, thinking about their leader.

The girl with the ruby eyes and cheerful smile, one of the few people he'd ever known in his life that made him feel secure, like it was ok to reveal a vulnerable, childish side sometimes. She would often take him to Wakatsu's and they would chat peacefully about whatever came to mind.

If he needed help with homework when everyone else was too busy, she was always there and happy to assist. When he confessed his need to feel like an adult, but his complex fear of growing up, she didn't laugh or call him a foolish little boy.

She smiled understandingly and told him he didn't need to hurry to grow up to prove he was strong. Minako was…special, in so many ways. She made him feel a kind of security he hadn't felt in over two years…and it was nice. Having someone who genuinely cared.

Mitsuru stood up suddenly, "Well, it appears Arisato is missing in action and I'm hesitant to proceed with the exploration without her. We should search for her in the time we have before the dark hour arrives."

Akihiko also rose, nodding, "I agree. We can't go anywhere without the leader, and it's weird she's been gone so long. Hey, did you guys try calling her cell?" his question was addressed to Junpei and Yukari, her fellow juniors.

Yukari's face showed slight confusion, "Y-yeah…that was one of the first things I tried. I was gonna text her and see if maybe she wanted to check out this new place that opened at Paulownia…but she never texted back. When I tried to call, I keep getting a busy signal. I tried three times."

Everyone shared the same look, and Misturu nodded, concluding the meeting.

:~XoXoXoXo~:

"Minako-sama, do you not remember anything?" Theodore had his hands placed carefully on the small girl's shoulders and his face was stern. She sat on the couch looking even smaller compared to him than he ever thought possible.

She pouted, her lips quivering lightly. He flinched, wanting to shield her from the world, from harm. But he couldn't, not until they could figure out what had happened.

"N-no," she whimpered pathetically. "Gomen onii-tan…c-can I go home now?" she begged, her red eyes watering.

Theodore waged an internal struggle with himself—this adorable child that had been his cherished guest not even thirty minutes earlier, she was helpless now. She seemed to have no recollection of what, where, or who she was. She knew her name and that she was five years of age. But neither of these small tidbits helped Theo in the slightest.

How was he supposed to get her "home"? He had no idea where that was for her, and doubted she did either. Then, a flash of an idea struck upon him, as he remembered an earlier request she'd fulfilled where he'd spent time in her world.

Minako had taken him to browse around Paulownia Mall, and he's stopped in front of that building—the police station, he believed it was. She explained that on top of apprehending dangerous criminals in her world, they also sometimes located missing persons who weren't trapped inside Tartarus.

He carefully picked her up, placing one hand lightly on the back of her head and the other securing her waist. "Do not fret. Whatever has happened, I will see to it that things are made right soon. But let's go back to your world first." Sniffling, Minako lifted her head with big, questioning eyes. Theo attempted to smile reassuringly before exiting the Velvet Room.

* * *

Akihiko watched as Koromaru sniffed around the area near the playground at Naganaki Shrine. Everyone had split up into small groups to search all the possible areas Minako could be. They decided they'd check everywhere first before reporting her missing.

"Well? Any luck boy?" Koromaru turned to look up at him, whining pitifully. The senior let out a long sigh. "I wonder where she could've gone off to…it's…not like her at all." He frowned, thinking of all the possible reasons why Minako would be delayed from coming home, or why she wouldn't call to inform anyone for that matter.

A few feet away, Shinjiro stood as aloof looking as usual, hands stuffed in his pockets as he glanced the area again. He walked over to his friend, who was crouched down near a spot Koromaru had started digging at. "She ain't here, Aki." he said gruffly, "Better go back and meet up with Misturu."

For a moment, Akihiko didn't respond, just kept staring blankly as Koromaru pushed sand aside to tug at what looked like a…bracelet? Maybe even a necklace, he didn't know, and his mind was too distracted to worry about it now. He sighed, standing up slowly. "Yeah, guess you're right…" he mumbled, unable to keep the disappointment from his voice.

As he turned to walk away, he felt a firm hand on his shoulder stop him. He half turned to glance into Shinjiro's blank face. "I know what you're thinking, but you're dead wrong…"

The boxing champ's eyes widened in surprise, "W-what?"

"Right now, you're thinking it's somehow your fault. Like you could've stopped her from disappearing or leaving or whatever if you'd been with her or something, right?"

"How did yo—"

"It's all over your face, moron. You've always been easy to read. But listen, whatever happened to her, she can't be very far. And from what I've seen, she's pretty damn good at handling herself, even for a girl her size. They'll find her sooner or later…"

Akihiko blinked as he took time to absorb his friend's words. Yeah, he did feel guilty. He'd meant to ask her if she wanted to hang out after school earlier, but he got tied up when some guys from the team caught him in the hall and asked about an upcoming tournament he'd be competing in.

He watched her from down the hall as she left with Junpei, and inwardly, he'd been annoyed with how he was always so close to her. He didn't know why, but it seemed to bother him more than before recently.

As he'd gotten to know her after he rejoined the team following his injury, he'd found that Minako was a very unique girl in many aspects. Not only was her ability to control multiple Persona incredible, but so was her spirit.

She stood her ground even when the chips were down and the odds were against them. She was fearless in battle and willing to put her life on the line to protect her teammates. Outside of Tartarus, he had found her to be cheerful, whimsical and a little naïve.

Still, he really did enjoy her company; it allowed him to loosen up. It was almost like…having his sister back. Even though something in the back of his mind told him the relationship he'd developed with Minako wasn't quite the same.

He heard a low growl from Koromaru, and looked at the dog to see his ears had perked up and he was staring off into the distance. He barked several times before leaping down the stairs of the shrine and running off.

"H-hey, where are you going all of a sudden? Get back here!" Akihiko found himself chasing after the dog, who had suddenly decided to run off on a whim.

Shinjiro wasn't far behind, huffing lightly and muttering something about dumb mutts and idiots. When Akihiko was finally able to catch up to Koromaru several blocks away, he was sniffing the ground intently once again. He looked back at Akihiko and barked impatiently as if telling him to hurry.

"Are we really gonna follow a dog around in the dark?" Shinjiro's flat voice broke in.

"You never know, maybe he picked up something." Akihiko shrugged before sprinting alongside the Shiba, Shinjiro following reluctantly behind.

'_This girl is a handful even when she's _not _around. Unbelievable.'_

* * *

"Well…found anything Aigas?" Fuuka walked back over to the mechanical maiden, who was currently scanning for Minako's heat signature. They were only a few miles away from the dorm, just in case she came back unexpectedly.

"Negative…it appears there are no other living things within a five mile radius." She reported monotonously.

Fuuka sighed, feeling a little dispirited, but not quite ready to give up. Minako wasn't just their leader, but their dear friend after all. She knew that if she were ever in trouble the sunny brunette wouldn't hesitate to come to her rescue.

"Well, let's see if we can regroup with the others before the Dark Hour. I'll call Yukari-chan and see if she's had any luck," she said mostly to herself as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Yukari-chan, it's Fuuka. Have you and Junpei-kun had any luck on your end?"

"_No…and I'm getting more worried by the minute. Those Strega creeps are still out there…"_

"I thought of that, but I wanted to try and remain positive. Aigas and I haven't been able to find any clues here either." She heard Yukari sigh into the phone the same time she did.

"_Well okay, I guess we'll just—huh?"_

"What is it Yukari-chan?" Fuuka asked, unable to contain her hopeful voice. Aigas leaned closer to her, but Fuuka hardly seemed to notice.

"_Junpei says he just got a text from Akihiko-senpai. They didn't find anything on their end either, but Koromaru started acting weird and now they're headed this way."_

"We should join the others at the designated spot at once. Minako-san must be safely found," Aigas voiced her opinion, her tone slightly more urgent than usual.

"Maybe we should stay here Aigas…the Dark Hour is less than an hour in a half away." Fuuka reasoned.

"I suppose we will stay mobilized at our given post then," the robot seemed to concede.

"Let us know if you found out anything Yukari-chan."

"_Will do. Bye,"_

Fuuka hung up the phone and wordlessly slipped it back in her pocket. She looked up at the sky, surprised to see more stars than she could remember seeing in quite some time. The sky was unusually clear tonight. A small frown slipped on her face. "Oh, Minako-chan…"

* * *

The group watched as Koromaru stood in front of the doors to the police station, barking determinedly after finally stopping his wild run. "Hey, what's gotten into you boy?" Yukari asked, bewildered.

"He's been acting like this since we first left the shrine. It's like he got a whiff of something and suddenly took off." Akihiko explained, panting a little after following the dog on a monorail and jogging almost nine blocks. Good thing the monorail had been mostly empty and the conductor was too tired to notice Koromaru boarding.

"Hey Aki, did you ever call Mitsuru? Her and Ken were supposed to check out Port Island Station, right?" Shinjiro glanced at his friend before looking down at his shoes blankly, hands jammed into his pockets.

Akihiko nodded, "Yeah, I texted her on the way while we were on the monorail. She says she's not there either, and the movie theater's staff says she hasn't come by to do work part-time for a few days now…nothing really new or helpful. They should be meeting us hear pretty soon."

As if on queue, the sound of an engine filled the air, and a bright light momentarily blinded the group before a sleek motorcycle skidded smoothly to a stop in front of them. Misturu removed her helmet and stepped off gracefully while Ken got down a little shakily, obviously not used to riding such a thing.

"I see everyone made it here. Alright, the Dark Hour is swiftly approaching, and our main priority as of right now is to locate Arisato before midnight. Understood?" Everyone nodded. "Let's start at the Police Station and see if Officer Kurosaki can give us a hand."

The automatic doors of the police station slid opened as the teenagers approached, and once inside the smells of coffee and old paper filled their noses.

Mitsuru strolled right up to the front desk, asking for Officer Kurosaki. The secretary quickly nodded and paged him when she saw just who was in front of her. It was best not to try the patience of a member of the Kirijo Group, no matter what the age.

Everyone but Shinjiro, Akahiko, Mitsuru and Koromaru took a seat on the stiff benches in the lobby while they waited. Kurosaki appeared from the back a few minutes later, tipping his hat respectfully to Misturu.

"Ah, Ms. Kirijo and company, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Officer, we'd like to report a missing persons case. Arisato Minako went missing earlier this evening and we haven't been able to locate her anywhere."

The officer stroked his chin thoughtfully, and everyone seemed to lean closer expectantly. "Seems like that name rings a bell…think you can describe her to me?" he asked, bringing out a notepad and pen.

"Yeah!" Junpei suddenly jumped in, "She's about this tall…" he held his hand to show the estimated height, "With brown hair and red eyes, um…oh yeah, she's skinny and always wears a pair of red headphones around her neck."

"Huh. Ain't that the girl that came in here to bring in that missing puppy a while back?" he grumbled to himself. "Urgh…well kids, your friend sounds familiar, so we'll put her in our database and call an area wide search on the main perimeters of the island so we—"

"Uh…uh…ojii-san, I-I don't like it back there…it's scary…" the group turned around in surprise to see a small girl come from the station's back hallway, fumbling nervously with her too long sleeves.

"Hey officer, who's the kid?" Junpei asked. Everyone else seemed to want to ask, but only Junpei was bold enough to actually do it.

"A young man brought her in not too long ago. Says she's lost and begged us to try to figure out where she's s'sposed to go. She can't remember her address or phone number though, just her name…" the officer sighed, removing his cap to scratch his head wearily.

Yukari slowly bent down to the little girl's level and offered her a kind smile, "Hi there, I'm Yukari. What's your name?" The girl, who had only been partially turned to them, hiding most of her face, turned fully, and everyone seemed to freeze when she stared up at them with large, crimson orbs.

The exact same shade as their missing leader's. No one else had those eyes. So who could this child possibly be? She studied Yukari slowly before sniffling quietly with a sad pout. "M-Minako…" she whispered, further surprising the group.

Junpei gaped openly, also stepping toward her and squatting down to exam the girl. "N-no way…!" it wasn't possible; it just couldn't be. And yet, the longer he stared at those mesmerizing eyes that you could drown in, a part of him recognized he felt the same way whenever he looked into their Minako's eyes. He couldn't help it when he lifted the child up to hold out in front of him. "T-this is her? Are you serious? How did this—"

Officer Kurosaki looked at the obviously stunned group of students and then at the strange little girl before sighing. "I've never questioned you kids about what goes on in your little group before, and I'm not gonna start now. If you need to take the kid, go ahead."

The teens looked at each other cautiously, everyone's faces filled with the same worried expressions. It was Misturu who broke the silence first, "We'll be returning to the dorm, immediately. Tomorrow we'll run tests to find out exactly what…this is about." She vaguely glanced at the child Junpei was still holding up at arm's length. She looked a little less scared and a little more curious, though her deep crimson eyes still held some hesitation.

"A-are you g-gonna take me home, onii-san?" she asked quietly, staring up at Junpei inquisitively.

Junpei blinked. If this _was _Minako, that meant she really didn't remember them, huh?

He chuckled weakly, "Y-yeah. Let's take you home."

She gave him a bright, innocent smile that only a child could, the sight of which caused an ache somewhere in Akihiko's heart. That was _her _smile, _her _face, _her _eyes…but, it _wasn't_ her at the same time.

"We should depart immediately. The Dark Hour is approaching," Aigas reported to the group, her tone was metallic as always, but when she looked at the small child Junpei carried, she wondered why she felt such a strong attachment. She only ever felt this attached to Minako-san.

"Yes, let's go," Misturu concluded solemnly.

The Dark Hour had arrived not long after they'd returned. It seemed they'd made it in the nick of time. Mitsuru was silently grateful the little girl hadn't seen the effects of the Dark Hour; if this was Minako Arisato without her memories, then she had no knowledge of Shadows, her powers, the Dark Hour's existence…it all weighed heavily on her mind even as she prepared for sleep. Minako was their key to saving humanity, yet she didn't know it. She wondered what would become of their objective now.

Downstairs, the others who hadn't departed for their rooms tried to decide what to do with the half-asleep little girl propped on the couch. Her eyes drooped heavily and a quiet sigh escaped her every once in a while.

"Maybe we should find Minako-chan something more comfortable to wear?" Fuuka asked uncertainly. It was odd to see a friend who had been a teenage girl just that morning be suddenly transformed into a child hardly old enough to be in grade school.

"Yeah, good idea Fuuka," Yukari whispered as she watched the smaller brunette nod off.

"I-I'll go see if I can find something that might fit," she volunteered quickly before scurrying up the stairs. Aigas remained in her position adjacent to the couch, standing behind a loveseat. She had been strangely quiet for a while, her eyes focused in concentration as she simply watched the girl.

Yukari noticed this with a quirked brow. There was really no way to tell what the robot girl was thinking. "Uh…everything alright there, Aigas?"

"…This child. She has the same energy as Minako-san. But, according to my data it is impossible for humans to age in reverse," she muttered.

"That's why we're trying to figure out how this happened. Don't worry Aigas, she'll be fine."

Aigas turned her head to Yukari, who was startled to see the amount of emotion in her normally blank eyes. '_Aigas…_'

They turned as light footsteps came from the stairwell and Fuuka returned with a neatly folded shirt, smiling softly. "I hope this is ok…um, it's an old shirt I wore in middle school. I'm not sure why I kept it all this time, but I guess it's a good thing after all." She chuckled lightly and Yukari walked over to the little Minako, gently shaking her awake.

"Minako-chan, let's get you ready for bed," she smiled sweetly and took the little girl by the hand. Minako yawned widely, rubbing her eye sleepily as she stumbled clumsily beside Yukari. Fuuka handed her fellow junior the shirt and said a quiet goodnight to them both as they ascended the stairs.

The next morning everyone dressed and trudged downstairs as if awaking from a restless night of sleep. Even Koromaru seemed to be moving a little sluggishly.

Yukari had helped Minako take a bath and brush her hair, before she put the same clothes she wore last night back on. They would have to go clothes shopping very soon if she was going to stay like this for a while.

Mitsuru greeted everyone officially as they all gathered in the kitchen. No one said much, they all seemed to be shooting Minako weary glances, who was oblivious as she sat in her own seat, legs swinging under the table. The sight of their leader still being shrunk down to pint-size meant that last night hadn't been some crazy, shared dream.

"Well, we certainly have a lot to do today. We'll meet here this afternoon at promptly five o' clock. Make sure to arrive in a timely fashion. I won't be attending school today, as I will have to take Minako to the Kirijo research facility. My father, Ikutsuki-san and a few other trusted medical specialist will be examining her."

Yukari frowned slightly, "You make it sound like she's a lab specimen…just because she's suddenly a kid doesn't mean she's not a person anymore."

Mitsuru cleared her throat quietly. "I'm well aware Takeba. Minako is our friend and comrade no matter what. But the sooner we can run tests, the sooner we have a chance at shedding some light into this."

Breakfast was mostly eaten in silence, except for Minako's cheerful hums as she played with her bowl of cereal. Ken was the first to stand up from the table, followed by Fuuka, then Yukari and soon almost everyone but the seniors had cleared out.

Akihiko looked at the little girl glancing around with the doe-like eyes full of curiosity. He still didn't know how to handle this. She wasn't hurt exactly, so he should be glad for that.

But she still wasn't the same girl he'd enjoyed spending time with. He frowned as he headed for the door to get his bookbag and shoes, wondering if he'd ever get to spend time with the _real_ Minako again.

* * *

**The next chapter should be up shortly. What adventures will Minako-chan and the group experience? What mischief will she cause? Please review to find out!**


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